On January 5, 2026, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) world-premiered the AFEELA Prototype 2026 at CES® in Las Vegas under the theme “Mobility as a Creative Entertainment Space.” Building on the pre-production AFEELA 1 model, which is scheduled for customer deliveries in California later in 2026, the new prototype showcases greater spatial flexibility, advanced in-cabin entertainment and next-generation electrical architecture. SHM confirmed that a production model based on this prototype is slated for a U.S. market launch as early as 2028.

SHM reinforced its technology roadmap by naming Qualcomm Technologies as its partner for the Snapdragon Digital Chassis suite, which will form the backbone of SHM’s next-generation electrical/electronic (E/E) architecture. The company also detailed its collaboration with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to power the AFEELA Personal Agent—an interactive conversational AI designed to deliver personalized dialogue experiences. These alliances are intended to support SHM’s long-term goal of evolving its AFEELA Intelligent Drive from Level 2+ assistance toward Level 4-equivalent capabilities.

Reservations for the AFEELA 1 began in California in January 2025, attracting over 100,000 showroom visitors and yielding more than 24,000 in-vehicle demonstrations within the first year. SHM conducted trial production runs at Honda’s East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio in fall 2025 and exhibited pre-production units at CES 2026. The company plans to open dual showroom-delivery hubs in Torrance and Fremont, California, this spring, with AFEELA 1 deliveries commencing late 2026. Expansion to Arizona is scheduled for 2027, followed by Japanese deliveries in the first half of 2027.